A little bit of this and a little bit of that – my reading list for this month is pretty widespread.  While this isn’t a complete list (I read way, way too much to tell you about all of them!) here are the highlights for April:

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Winds of War by Herman Wouk.  Published in 1971, this American classic is perhaps better known for its sequel War and Remembrance.  I decided to dip my toes into Wouk’s world with this title and wasn’t disappointed.  I am a fast reader but this is a long, slog of a book.  That makes it sound bad (which it isn’t) but it is full of family drama, war drama, politics and intrigue.  I found that I really had to be in the right mindset to tackle this and kept putting it down for lighter fare.  Recommended to lovers of classic literature and war epics but do make sure you have the time to spare before beginning it!  (ISBN 13:  978-0316952668)

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi.  So, everyone who picks this up seems to love this title.  I admit the cover is stellar and the writing flows with almost a fairytale like quality but I just could not get into this title.  I really felt that there was so much imagery that I never really got to relate to the main character Maya.  A bit like when a fantasy novel spends so much time world building that you never actually get to the characters themselves.  Beautiful writing but a little slow moving for my tastes.  (ISBN 13: 978-1250085474)

When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Manning.  This is one of those books that only true book history lovers will probably enjoy.  This title gives the history of the tiny, odd shaped paperbacks that were created especially for military service members.  Known as Armed Services Editions, these little oddities were reprints of popular and classic titles that soldiers could fit in their uniform pockets easily.  Manning gives a well researched history of the publications, including many of the controversies that developed over the chosen titles.  Excellent book with limited audience appeal.  (ISBN 13: 978-0544570405)

Hades by Candice Fox.  Unfortunately, I put this one down to work on some other commitments and haven’t got a chance to pick it back up.